THE REPORTER
Team USA Olympic swimmer and Indiana native Drew Kibler will serve as grand marshal of the 2023 GMR Grand Prix on Saturday, May 13 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kibler, born in Indianapolis and raised in Carmel and a state champion for the Carmel Greyhounds, will give the command for drivers to start their engines during pre-race ceremonies.
“It’s an honor to be grand marshal for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES road course race that kicks off the Month of May at IMS,” Kibler said. “As someone who grew up just north of Indianapolis, I know exactly how special May is to this community, and I’m excited to be part of an epic day at the Racing Capital of the World.”
A specialist in freestyle swimming events, Kibler is a world-record holder in the short course 4×200 meter freestyle relay. He won a gold medal in this event at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships (long course) and the 2022 World Short Course Championships. He was a member of the 4×200 meter freestyle relay team that took fourth at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo for Team USA.
In addition, Kibler is a three-time All-American, three-time Big 12 champion and the 2019 NCAA champion in the 800-freestyle relay. He is also a three-time NCAA champion in the 4×200 yard freestyle relay, winning NCAA titles in the event in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
“Drew Kibler has represented the USA and Indiana on some of the biggest stages in global sports, so it’s fitting for him to call drivers to their cars at the Racing Capital of the World,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “It’s always special when a fellow Hoosier can be part of Race Day.”
NBC’s live coverage of the GMR Grand Prix starts at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13 as the heavyweights of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES take on the action-packed twists and turns of the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at IMS.
Visit ims.com to purchase tickets for the GMR Grand Prix and for more information on the complete Month of May schedule at IMS.
Indianapolis will host the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials in June 2024. For the first time ever, the event will be staged on a football field, as Lucas Oil Stadium is tapped to host the Olympic-qualifying meet in front of hundreds of thousands over nine days. 2024 will mark the 100-year anniversary since Indianapolis hosted the Olympic Swimming Trials for the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris.
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be presented across the networks and platforms of NBCUniversal next summer.